English | Trinidadian
My identity is based around my race. My father is from Trinidad and my mother from Rugby, England. Growing up, I always felt outside the group, like I didn’t belong. This led me to have to be very introspective and create my own original identity. Being mixed has enabled me to integrate with other cultures seamlessly as I don’t have an us versus them mentality as I do not have an us to start off with. In this regard over time I have just picked up and kept the best aspects of each culture and allowed myself the freedom to identify and create myself however I like. I work as a model part-time, so it gives me an edge sometimes when looking for work and then with refugees and asylum seekers as my 9 to 5. In this regard my experiences growing up have helped me to relate to other more easily in my personal opinion, and always find a way to connect and reach the client’s that we work with. Having grown up in Croydon I got stopped by Police a lot less than my Black friends would. I would get treated by teachers and strangers on the street better. In that sense I have been privileged. However, these days I see more stereotypes arising around mixed people, that we are sensitive or highly concerned with how we look etc. I am unable to speak my native languages, in fact I am very disconnected with my father’s heritage because he was. In as much I think at times this has made me feel isolated even from some other mixed-race people as whilst biologically I am mixed culturally I am less so than others. I think this is why I always am so interested by how different cultures interact with one another. If I would have to describe my identity I would say I was a Londoner. In the sense, that I feel like the culmination of many different cultures. If I had the opportunity to be born again I would like to come back exactly the way I am. I wouldn’t trade being mixed for any other race, if anything I wish I was more mixed! Being mixed has given me the confidence to always be myself and not be easily mislead by others and in this game of life where we are all trying to find our way and our place in the world.
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